REFUGEE ADMISSIONS REFERRAL: TAMADHUR KADHIM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000630 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR PRM/A; DHS FOR BCIS HEADQUARTERS; CAIRO FOR REFCOORD; AMMAN FOR REFCOORD AND CONSULAR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREF PHUM IZ SUBJECT: REFUGEE ADMISSIONS REFERRAL: TAMADHUR KADHIM HAMMAD REF: STATE 326248 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY. ¶1. (SBU) Embassy Baghdad would like to refer the following Iraqi with substantial ties to the USG to the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Principal applicant (PA): NAME: Tamadhur Kadhim Hammad DOB: February 3, 1956 POB: Baghdad, Iraq Passport Number: G 1100832 Gender: Female Marital Status: Married Dependents: NAME: Adel Ali Khatea DOB: December 9, 1955 POB: Baghdad, Iraq Passport Number: G 1082208 Gender: Male Marital Status: Married Relation to PA: Husband NAME: Zahra'a Adel Ali DOB: December 23, 1990 POB: Baghdad, Iraq Passport Number: G 1082675 Gender: Female Marital Status: Single Relation to PA: Daughter ¶3. (SBU) Description of persecution claim, provided by the applicant herself: Tamadhur has worked for the USG or for associations funded by the USG since April of 2003. Tamadhur has been very active in a Baghdad Business Center for Women and in other organizations and events supported by USAID grants. She has presented letters of recommendation from previous USG and US military supervisors. She is afraid that Sunni insurgents and Shia militias want to kill her because of her association with the USG. In addition, she has stated that her husband and her moved out of their neighborhood because she is a Sunni and her husband is a Shia The neighborhood they lived in was mostly Shia Tamadhur has also stated that members of her extended family (the Al-Janabi) had close connections with Saddam's regime, and that this is another reason why Shia militias want to kill her. ¶4. (SBU) Tamadhur reports that a cousin of her, who was a vice dean in a local university, was kidnapped and never heard from again. Her husband's cousin was murdered in November of 2006. Tamadhur also reports that a brother of her and his wife found a threatening letter (with bullets attached to it) in their garden. As a result of this threat, her brother and wife decided to leave the country. In August of 2006, Tamadhur received a threatening email, criticizing her for her support and active participation in a USG-sponsored business conference for women. Tamadhur reports that she has kept a copy of the threatening email. In October of 2006, after photographs of her appeared in local media and the Coalition Forces newsletter, Tamadhur reports that she received a threatening call instructing her to stop working with Americans. In December of 2006 Tamadhur's nephew was reportedly kidnapped and later killed. Tamadhur believes that his murder was in retaliation for her association with the USG. Since her nephew's murder, Tamadhur has been afraid of being in public and has lived in a state of relative seclusion. She states that her husband has moved to a Shia neighborhood where he feels it is safe for him but not for her to be in. Tamadhur explains that she is spending the night in different places throughout the week, and does not allow her daughter to leave the house where she is staying with relatives. Tamadhur reports that she hardly goes out anymore. She explains that she has not left the country earlier because she needed a new passport, which she has only finally received on Sunday, February 18. ¶5. (SBU) Justification for resettlement: Tamadhur is favorably known to US State Department employees, who called attention about her case to Embassy Baghdad RefCoord. RefCoord has met with Tamadhur once and has spoken with her on the phone frequently. RefCoord believes that Tamadhur has a genuine fear of persecution because of her association with the US. The recently established Embassy Baghdad Refugee Committee is aware of her case, although it has not had an BAGHDAD 00000630 002 OF 002 opportunity to discuss it in more detail. Tamadhur's decision to leave for Amman on Wednesday, February 21, makes it advisable for Embassy RefCoord to submit this referral without further consultations with the Refugee Committee. ¶6. (SBU) Financial situation of principal applicant and family: PA or family does not require immediate financial assistance to support themselves while her case is being processed, if accepted. ¶7. (SBU) Name checks: Conducted on February 19. One minor hit, "possible NSEER status violator". This hit by itself is not a reason for refusing admission or benefit. Tamadhur might have failed to register with DHS following a previous visit to the US (visitors from some countries are required to register with DHS when they enter and exit the US). This hit is easy to overcome by showing the exit stamps or explaining the failure to register. KHALILZAD